SA Obesity Rate Falls

posted by Jim Forsyth
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3 years ago

We're seeing less of our fellow San Antonians, and that's a good thing.

Mayor Julian Castro announced today that the percentage of San Antonians who are obese fell sharply between 2010 and 2o12, and for the first time since they started keeping figures, San Antonio's obesity rate is actually lower than the state average.

"This 19% drop means that 70,00 fewer San Antonians who are at risk for all of the bad things that come from being obese," Castro said. "Diabetes, hypertension, stroke."

The percentage of people who are 'normal' for their classification rose from 31% to 35% over that same period.

Interestingly, almost all of the gains have been among Hispanics. The city's Anglo population did not show any drop in the percentage of people who are obese.

Castro credited healthier lifestyles, and adjustments in the foods people are eating, especially in school lunches.

"San Antonians who are taking more time to walk around the track at Woodlawn Lake or Hardberger Park," Castro said. "Folks who are going to the YMCA."

Castro has made reducing the city's obesity rate a top priority of his administration.

"We now have concrete evidence that our investments are paying off, and positively impacting the health of our families and the overall quality of life in San Antonio," he said.